United Streetcar chosen in D.C. do-over

Washington, D.C.’s District Department of Transportation has chosen United Streetcar, LLC—again—to supply two streetcars for use on DDOT’s H Street/Benning Road Line in the city’s Northeast.

United Streetcar, a subsidiary of Clackamas, Ore.-based Oregon Iron Works, Inc., was chosen last December by DDOT for the order, but the choice was challenged in January by Ostrava, Czech Republic-based Inekon Group a.s., which submitted a bid of $8.7 million for the order, lower than the original United Streetcar bid of $9.5 million. The district’s Contract Appeals Board, acting on Jan. 9, called for rebidding the contract as a “corrective action.”

"This contract, which we have sent to the Council for consideration, reaffirms our commitment to begin streetcar service in the District next year," said Mayor Vince Gray in a statement. "Investing in streetcars makes sense both economically and environmentally, and we must continue to move forward with the program."

DDOT reportedly struck a deal with the city of Portland, Ore., already anticipating its own delivery of cars from United Streetcar, to purchase the two D.C. streetcars, then resell them to DDOT. United Streetcar’s delivery schedule of streetcars to Portland has slipped in recent months, though the manufacturer says it’s now on course to deliver Portland’s fleet of cars promptly.